Hinge.



- ALN. THOMAS.

HINGE. APPLICATION FILED SEPTA/17906.

' Patented Mar. 23,1909.

WITNESS E5 INV'ENTOR GEM/MM.

ATTORNEY v ARVINE N. THOMAS, OF CANTON, OHIO.

HINGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 23, 1909.

Application filed September 4:, 1908. Serial No. 451,66.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARVINE N. THoMAs, a citizen of the United States,residing atCanton, in the county of Stark and State of Ohio,

have invented a new and useful Improve ment in Hlnges, of wlnch thefollowmg 1s a specification.

The invention relates to a hinge for the fixed and lid parts of the'fiatcover of a box suitable for use in safe deposit vaults. Boxes of thischaracter are usually made of sheet metal and are'preferably formedsome- What narrow with reference to their length, and somewhat shallowwith reference to their width; and the cover of the box is usuallydivided into a fixed part, ordinarily the rear portion, which is securedto or formed integral with the sides and rear end of the box, and a lidpart, ordinarily the forward portion, which is hinged at its rear endedge to the forward free edge of the fixed part of the cover. Such boxesare usually intended and adapted to be entered into pigeonholes or othersuitable receptacles shaped to neatly receive the individual boxes, andtherefore it is desirable that when the lid is closed it should lie flatand flush with the fixed part of the cover. It is also desirable thatthe lid should be hinged so as to fold over and lie fiat on the fixedcover, and for this operation it is desirable that the adjacent edges ofthe fixed and lid parts of the cover shall be shaped smooth and straightand withoutany angles or recesses therein, and that they shall not rubagainst each other to abrade or deface the enamel with which the boxesare usually finished.

Thegeneral object of the invention is ac complished by forminga barrelbearing on each adjacent edge of the fixed cover and the lid, in whichbearings are 1' ournaled twoparallel pintles, the ends of the pintlesbeing connected together by yokes which are bent or deflected to oneside in such a manner as to form a tongue which is adapted to operateagainst the lid to draw the same downward into alinement with the planeof the fixed cover when the lid isrotatedforward and closed. p

A further object of the invention isto make the parallel pintles intwoseparate sections, the outer ends of each pair being connectedtogether by the respective yokes, and to bevel and overlap the ends ofthe respective pintle sections so that when entered in thebearin'gs, onepiece cannot turn without the other; which arrangement permits thepintles to be inserted in the ends of the bearings after the bearingsare formed, and at the same time to retain the advantages of onepiecepintles.

The various features of the invention which are thus set forth ingeneral terms, are

illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

formingpart hereof, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the boxshowing the lid open and rotated backward; Fig. 2, alongitudinal-vertical section of the box showing the lid closed; Fig. 3,a cross section of the box on line 3-3, Fig. 2; Fig.

4, a perspective cross sectional view of the rear end of the box,showing the normal operation of the hinge when the lid is being opened;Fi 5, a longitudinal-vertical sec tion of the fixed cover showing thelid folded backward thereon; and Fig. 6, a detached perspective view ofthe two pintle parts slightly separated, and showing a modified form ofthe yokes.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

The bottom 1, the sides 2 and the ends 3 of the box are preferablyformed of sheet metal, and the fixed rear part 4 of the cover is formedor attached on the sides and rear end of the box in any well-knownmanner. The middle portion of the forward free end portion of the fixedcover is originally extended beyond the extreme side portions 5 thereofand this extended portion is curved downward, rearward and upward toform the barrel bearing 6 and the middle portion of the normally rearend of the lid 7 is likewise originally extended beyond the extreme sideportions 8 thereof, and this extended portion is curved downward,forward and thence upward to form the barrel bearing 9.

Two parallel pintles are journaled respectively in the barrel bearings 6of the fixed part and 9 of the lid of the cover, and these pintles areeach preferably formed in two sections of unequal length, as 10, 10 and11,

11", and when so made the longer section of one pintle is preferablylocated opposite the shorter section of the other pintle. The adjacentends of the respective sections are preferably beveled and adapted tooverlap each other when abutted, so that when entered in the bearingsone section isheld against rotation with reference to the other.

The outer ends of the pintles are connected together by means of theyokes 12 the arms 13 of the yokes which are connected with the lidpintle being bent and extended directly forward from this pintle in theplane passing throughboth pintles, having reference to-thenormalposition of the par-ts when the lid is closed; and the arms 14 ofthe fixed cover pintle are first bent downward andthen forward along thelower side of the arms of the lid pintle.

The hinge parts are preferably assembled before the fixed cover isattached to the box, and this is conveniently accomplished by insertingthe respective. end sections of the pintles into the opposite ends ofthe barrels,

whereupon the fixed and lidparts of. the box.

are placed in position. The length of the bearings and the pintles arepreferably arranged so that the outer sides of the yoke arms will abutthe inner sides of the beads 15 which are preferablyformed on the edgesof the sides of the box, and so that the outer ends of the barrels willabut the inner sides of the yoke arms; and by this arrangement it isevident that the pintle sections will.

the normally upper sides of the rear yoke. arms and constitute stopswhich prevent the bearing or pintle from rotating more than a quarterturn; and as a result of this arrangement, the adjacent edges of thecover parts never abut or abrade each other, and when the lid has beenfolded over backward, the lid bearing and the fixed cover pintle willhave each rotated a quarter turn and the yokes will have been turnedfrom their normal forward horizontal position, as shown in Figs. 2, 3andd, to an upright position, as shown in Figs. 1 and'5. And, when thelid is closed by rotating it upward and.

forward, either bearing or pintle can rotate as before, but when thelidbearing has rotated a quarter turn on its pintle, the lid will abut theadjacent arms of the yokes which thereby stop a further rotation of thelid bearing on its pintle,.whereby the'complete half circle rotation ofthe lid in being closed causes a quarter rotation of the lid bearing andthe fixed cover pintle, and the lid is thereby brought into alinementwith the fixed part of the cover.

It is evidently not essential to make the pintles in two separatesections as illustrated and described herein, but it is preferable tomake them in this manner for convenience in assembling the parts.Furthermore, if it isnot desirable or necessary to overlap the adjacentends of the pintle sections, the same pintles can evidently beeniployedin hinges for boxes of various widths. And. it will be seen that by theconstruction and arrangement of the hinge parts herein set forth, theyokes which connect the ends of the pintles serve also as means foralining the cover sections when the lid is closed; so that it. is notnecessary to cut or encumber the bearing or the pintles with additionalor special devices for this purpose; In the modified form of the yokes12 illustrated in Fig. 6, the arms 14 which are connected with the fixedcover pintles are first bent directly backward in the normal position ofthe hinge so as to be in the rearward plane of the pintles, and are thenbent downward and forward as before along the lower side of the arms ofthe lid pintle. With this modified form of the yokes, it is evident thatthe normally rear yoke-arms will abut the under side of the fixed coverpart when the lid is closed, and

will thus supplement the action of the forward yoke-arms in alining thetwo cover parts when the lid is closed. This feature has special valuewhen the inner ends of the pintle sections are not arranged to abut oroverlap, for the reason that the movements of. each section of thepintles are thus made :more nearly in unison.

What I claim. as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

1. A hinge for the fixed and lid parts of a fiat box cover includingbearings on the middle portions of the hinge-edges of the cover parts,parallel pintles journaled in the bearings, and yokes connecting theends of the pintles,

the lid-arms of the yokes being located in the plane of the pintles andin abutment with the lid when the same is closed, and the side portionsof the hinge-edges of the cover parts being adapted to abut the oppositeyoke-arm when the lid is opened.

2. A hinge for the fixed and lid parts of a fiat box cover includingbearings on the hinge-end portions of the cover parts, )arallel pintlesjournaled in the bearings, an yokes connecting the ends of the pintles,the lidarms of the yokes being located in the normally forward plane ofthe pintles whereby they abut the lid and aline it with the fixed coverwhen the lid is closed.

3. A hinge for the fixed and lid parts of a pintles whereby they abutand aline the lid fiat box cover including hearings on the and coverparts when the lid is closed. hinge end portions of the cover parts,arallel plntles journaled in the bearings, an yokes ARVINE THOMAS 5connecting the ends of the pintles, the respec- Witnesses:

tive arms of the yokes bein bent forward JOSEPH FREAsE,

and rearward in the norma plane of the )HARRY FREASE.

